The present invention relates in general to window regulators, and, more specifically, to a guide rail for receiving a window slider and having a low friction, self-cleaning coating for reducing noise, wear, and corrosion.
A window regulator for a motor vehicle is a mechanism that controls the raising, lowering and positioning of a window, such as a side door window. For a typical power window application, the regulator includes one or more rails, window clamps and sliders configured to ride on the rails and configured to secure the glass (i.e., window), a motor assembly, and cables coupling the motor to the window sliders in order to move them on the rails in a coordinated fashion. For a manual window application, a hand crank is used instead of a motor.
Conventional window regulator systems have been subject to various performance problems that lead to customer dissatisfaction. One such problem is noisy operation as the door glass is fully or partially raised or lowered. Squeaks, scrapes, or buzzing sounds often occur as the slider moves along the guide rail. These problems typically worsen over time due to washout of oils and lubricants and/or a buildup of corrosion. Another performance problem relates to blocked or intermittent movement of the door glass windows at cold temperatures when moisture becomes frozen onto the guide rails or sliders.
The present invention involves providing a particular coating which may be applied as a paint or a dry film and then cured on the guide rail that overcomes each of the foregoing problems.